h, no, I'm not afraid of that," answered Lizzie quickly--"I am not in the
least afraid."

"Come in, then," reiterated the woman, "and I'll tell you all about it."

The woman looked harmless enough, and Lizzie hesitated no longer, but
followed her through the entry into a decently furnished room. Setting the
candlestick upon the mantelpiece, she offered her visitor a chair, and then
continued--

"He came home this last time in an awful state. Before he left some one
sent him a load of money, and he did nothing but drink and gamble whilst it
lasted. I used to tell him that he ought to take care of his money, and
he'd snap his fingers and laugh. He used to say that he owned the goose
that laid the golden eggs, and could have money whenever he wanted it.
Well, as I was a saying, he went; and when he came back he had an awful
attack of _delirium tremens_, and then he took the typers. Oh, laws mercy!"
continued she, holding up her bony hands, "how that critter raved! He
talked about killing people."

"He did!" interrupted Lizzie, with a gesture of alarm, and laying her hand
upon her heart, which beat fearfully--"did he mention any name?"

The woman did not stop to answer this question, but proceeded as if she had
not been interrupted. "He was always going on about two orphans and a will,
and he used to curse and swear awfully about being obliged to keep
something hid. It was dreadful to listen to--it would almost make your hair
stand on end to hear him."

"And he never mentioned names?" said Lizzie inquiringly.

"No, that was so strange; he never mentioned no names--_never_. He used to
rave a great deal about two orphans and a will, and he would ransack the
bed, and pull up the sheets, and look under the pillows, as if he thought
it was there. Oh, he acted very strange, but never mentioned no names. I
used to think he had something in his trunk, he was so very special about
it. He was better the day they took him off; and the trunk went with
him--he would have it; but since then he's had a dreadful relapse, and
there's no knowin' whether he is alive or dead."

"I must go to the hospital," said Lizzie, rising from her seat, and greatly
relieved to learn that nothing of importance had fallen from McCloskey
during his delirium. "I shall go there as quickly as I can," she observed,
walking to the door.

"You'll not see him to-night if you do," rejoined the woman. "Are you a
relation?"

"Oh, no," answered Lizzie; "my fa